#Iwas: minors victims of sexual assault testify on Twitter

"#Iwas 12. There were 4 of them, all of them comrades. I asked for help, but no one came. My father didn't want to know. 'It's a girl thing' and my mother insulted me saying "every boy wants to discover a girl's body". I sometimes think it's my fault ". This testimony is that of "Léou", who presents himself on Twitter as "young novelist", young author, and student in letters.

#Iwas 12.
There were 4 of them, all of them comrades.
I asked for help, but no one came.
My father didn't want to know "it's a girl thing" and my mother insulted me saying "every boy wants to discover a girl's body".
I sometimes think it's my fault pic.twitter.com/WgKNzoBJKG

His message, published on the social network, is one of the tens of thousands of others published in recent days under the common denominator: #Iwas (I had or I was). According to Keyhole, the hashtag has appeared in more than 200,000 posts in the past 30 days. Often followed by an age, the keyword launched in the United States arrived in France - and in particular in Corsica where testimonies have multiplied. It records accounts of rape, sexual assault or harassment, suffered by girls and boys, when they were mostly minors.

Social networks, places of freedom of speech

Since the Weinstein affair, social networks have become a place of freedom of speech for victims of sexual violence. The #Iwas phenomenon is reminiscent of the wave of #MeToo and #BalanceTonPorc. More recently, #JesuisUneVictime emerged in reaction to the César for best director received by Roman Polanski, accused of rape in the United States and in France. Or #UberCestOver, used by Uber passengers who said they were attacked by drivers during their journey.

What sets this #Iwas apart is the youth of the alleged victims at the time of the events. The ages and the violence of the reported facts make your head spin: "# Iwas4 when it started, 14 when it ended", one tweets; "# Iwas11 was my father," another tweeted. "# Iwas7, when I tried to talk about it around me, I was called a whore", post a third. One could quote thousands of this order.  

Guilt, innocence, shame, difficulty speaking often recur in the testimonies of young victims. The anonymity conferred by social networks allows some to indulge for the first time. @ histoirede20 testifies "for the first time in public despite it being anonymous" (sic). "# Iwas10", he writes, before recounting the repeated rapes of his big brother who forced him to sodomy. "He would come to my room in the evening so that I could touch his penis and kiss him on it," he continues. "I was 10 years old, I was naive", feels obliged to justify the boy.

#iwas 10
First time I speak about it in public despite it being anonymous. pic.twitter.com/Sp6hLVVyhX

"It was my father and it was only sodomy"

Others, like Stella Pasquini, testify openly. In a thread, this young woman recounts the rapes inflicted by her father when she was between 4 and 10 years old. "It was my own father and only out of sodomy. He told me that it was normal and that all the dads did that to their daughters ... I am 4 years old ... I believe in it and let myself go, I told myself that it was normal and that a bad time to pass. "

#iwas it was going from 4 to 8-10 years old it was my own father and only by sodomy. He told me that it was normal for all dads to do this to their daughters ... I am 4 years old ... I believe in it and let myself do it, I told myself that it was normal and that a bad time to pass

Stella Pasquini says that she managed to speak at the age of 15, when her parents separated, and then filed a complaint against her father: "The gendarmes found more than 12,000 child pornography photos". "A detail that proves that what he did to me is true," said the young woman, no doubt dreading that his testimony would be questioned. In a rape trial, it is often word for word for facts that are difficult to prove, although the child is now heard, recorded and filmed to avoid repeating the story of traumatic events. 

"The case lasted 5 years," said the young woman who said she had to confront her father who was ultimately sentenced in second instance to ten years in prison. "On July 3, 2019, it was the end of the trial, the last time I will surely see him ... The judge asks him if he wants to say something [...] And all he can say is is: 'I have an honor, I have no regrets' ".

The  attackers are 94 % of the victim's relatives

The facts are often attributed to relatives, even relatives. Fathers often, mothers sometimes. @JGouilly recounts the touching of "the one who gave birth to her": "#Iwas 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21. How can I say. The person who gave birth to me touched several times. In front and behind. So I said no and stopped each time. She started again saying "I am your mother, it was I who gave birth to you and I can touch you" ", testifies this Internet user.

#Iwas 15,16,17,18,19,20,21
How can I say. The person who gave birth to me. Touched me several times. Front and back. So I said no and stop every time. She would start again saying "I am your mother, it is I who gave birth to you I can touch.

"Unfortunately, not all mothers are caring," said the International Association of Victims of Incest (AIVI). On June 5, the association deplored that "most of the testimonies [are] cases of incest on minors or pedocrime committed by a person from the family / friendly circle. This is not a surprise for us but each new testimony breaks our hearts. "

#Iwas most of the testimonies are cases of # incest on a minor or # pedocrime committed by a person from the family / friendly circle. It is not a surprise for us but each new testimony breaks our hearts 💔💔💔 https://t.co/M1N6ioo1VB

A 2019 survey on sexual violence by Ipsos for the association Mémoire Traumatique et victimologie reveals that children are the main victims of sexual violence: 81% of cases of assault begin before the victim's 18 years of age, and before 11 years for one in two victims. In 94% of cases, the aggressor is a relative; half the time, it is part of the victim's family.

#Iwas 6, 13
the children victims of #ViolenceSexuelles have on average 10a, 83% of girls, 50% of incest
81% of #ViolencesSexuelles begin before 18a, 51% before 11a, 21% before 6a
70% undergo other #SexualViolence
+ 9x / 10 the aggressor is 1 manhttps: //t.co/6R9wlEMunx pic.twitter.com/c3EHJAVS4U

Faced with the influx of tweets, Secretary of State for Gender Equality, Marlène Schiappa, praised, on June 4, "the courage of all those who speak out against sexual violence suffered at a younger age with #iwas ". An opportunity to recall that "the victims of rape now have thirty years after their majority to file a complaint". In August 2018, the government extended the prescription period for rape of minors from 20 to 30 years. An insufficient development for the associations which claim their imprescriptibility.

I salute the courage of all those who speak out against sexual violence suffered at a younger age with #iwas

Victims of rape have now 30 years after reaching the age of majority to file a complaint.
💻 https://t.co/7LUx3IDHAD law enforcement listen to you 24 hours a day

The France 24 week summary invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

Take international news everywhere with you! Download the France 24 app